In
the Detroit region, where manufacturing and industry are key components of
the economy, the Detroit/Wayne County Roundtable on Sustainable
Development marks a major step toward basing the future well-being of
southeast Michigan on the concept of sustainable development. The
roundtable has identified barriers to brownfield site redevelopment and is
recommending solutions to overcome those barriers. Over the past two
years, broad collaboration among city, county, and state officials;
private-sector stakeholders; environmental groups; and the public has
already resulted in several major redevelopment projects that might not
have been possible without the focus and collaboration that the roundtable
facilitated.

In 1994 the immediate goal for
Wayne County and the City of Detroit was simple: to convene a regional summit on
sustainable development that would examine international, national, state, and
regional efforts to integrate environmental and economic growth concerns. The
summit clarified that city and county leaders have a long-range task even more
formidable than first imagined, a task that requires broad involvement of the
public to develop workable, coordinated approaches to the environmental and
economic issues confronting older urban areas.

The summit led to the formation
of the City of Detroit/Wayne County Roundtable on Sustainable Development, a
partnership between two governments that historically did not always work in
tandem.

Working Together

The roundtable adopted a series
of operating principles (see list in box) and designated a ten-member board of
directors, co-chaired by the designees of the mayor and the Wayne County
executive. Forty representatives from Detroit and Wayne County neighborhood
organizations, environmental groups, lending institutions, businesses,
governments, charitable and religious groups, and others make up the roundtable
membership.

The first full meeting of the
roundtable in October 1995 helped define the historical barriers to
redevelopment: lack of education, information, and training; regulatory
constraints; economic development; and concerns for health, safety, and the
environment. Roundtable members refined these issues into recommendations for
further study by three working groups, which would examine ways to market
brownfield sites, identify institutional and legal barriers to redevelopment,
and provide stakeholders with information.

Before the roundtable was ever
formed, stakeholders recognized that impediments to brownfield redevelopment
existed. As the roundtable made progress, however, participants began to
understand the issues from their colleagues' perspectives and to gain greater
respect for each other's views. Although these interactions sometimes led to
frustration, cooperation prevailed. The roundtable process has given all members
a forum in which to facilitate consensus building and agree on solutions to
problems that stakeholders have in common.

Making Progress

Roundtable members continue to
collaborate on many activities. For example, the Clean-Up Committee is reviewing
the effectiveness of the new Michigan Environmental Act (part 201) and is
looking at additional opportunities for streamlining the regulatory process. One
of the co-chairs is a Michigan Department of Environmental Quality staff member
with first-hand knowledge of the state program, thereby assuring that committee
recommendations are responsive to the issues faced by many people grappling with
redevelopment.

The Incentives and Disincentives
Committee continues to work on the tax reversion and condemnation process, which
has been linked to long delays in assembling property for redevelopment
projects. While condemnation has been used successfully in major projects, it
has not typically been used in smaller projects due largely to issues of cost
and time. The goal is to identify short- and long-term ways to reduce the cost
and time required while protecting the rights of property owners.

Other committees include a
streamlining government committee, which is reviewing existing and proposed
efforts to assist potential developers interested in redevelopment in older
urban areas; a marketing committee, which is developing a comprehensive strategy
for Southwest Detroit; and a stakeholders committee, which is working to define
a meaningful way for citizens to participate in the decision making that affects
their neighborhoods.

So far, considerable progress
has been made. The city and county have launched numerous major redevelopment
projects as a result of the partnership, including a stadium complex, an airport
expansion, and a casino. At the same time, major industries have stepped up to
the plate with new automotive manufacturing facilities and corporate operations
in downtown Detroit.

The present task is to help
assure that smaller development fills in behind these major projects in a way
that protects the environment and is sustainable over the long run. This balance
of small and large development holds the key to measured and continued economic
growth for Detroit and Wayne County as the region moves into the 21st century.

Six Operating Principles
for a City/County Roundtable

Diversify membership: Assure that the roundtable membership is inclusive,
representing community groups, business organizations, economic and
environmental interests, universities, and regulatory agencies.

Promote the concept of sustainability: Recognize that in the long run, the economy
and the environment are interdependent and that today's needs must be met
without sacrificing those of the future.

Build consensus: Establish the roundtable process on the precept that
sharing information, selecting common goals and objectives, and jointly
supporting projects build the trust that is essential in creating new
coalitions.

Support existing efforts: Enhance rather than duplicate the efforts of existing public
and private organizations working on economic development and
environmental quality.

Combine resources: Use the roundtable's diverse stakeholders to collectively
identify and tap resources to fund activities or projects that are beyond
the scope or means of any single public or private organization.

Set up regional cooperation and communication: Exchange information on successes and
failures with other communities in the region.